Player Collection

Nick Van Exel

Point guard · 6′1″ Born November 27, 1971, Kenosha, Wisconsin Drafted 1993, 37th overall, Los Angeles Lakers
#9#31 #37#19

The Collection

Every card documented in this archive, all seasons and all teams.

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Attainable owned
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Autographs
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Memorabilia
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Serial-Numbered
—% complete — still wanted

Who He Was

Nickey Maxwell Van Exel arrived in the NBA as a second-round afterthought and left as one of the most fearless guards of his era. Cincinnati took him out of junior college; the Lakers took him 37th overall in 1993, and by his rookie year he was already starting at point guard in the post-Magic vacuum at the Forum.

He made the All-Star team in 1998, then spent the back half of his career as a hired gun for five more franchises. The numbers — 12,658 points, 5,777 assists, a 14.4 scoring average across thirteen seasons — only tell part of it. What collectors remember is the swagger: the long-range pull-ups, the running feud with authority, the sense that he played angry and better for it.

For a player collector, that spread across six franchises is the whole appeal. A complete Van Exel run is not a Lakers run — it means chasing Denver, Dallas, Golden State, Portland and San Antonio issues too, plus the college cards and the modern retrospective autographs that keep appearing decades after he retired.

Biographical and statistical details verified against Wikipedia, Basketball-Reference and Sports-Reference, July 2026.

Career Timeline

Six NBA franchises, plus college and a coaching career after.

  1. 1989–1991
    Trinity Valley Community College
  2. 1991–1993
    University of Cincinnati
    Third-team All-American, First-team All-Great Midwest (1993)
  3. 1993–1998
    Los Angeles Lakers
    NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1994) · NBA All-Star (1998)
  4. 1998–2002
    Denver Nuggets
  5. 2002–2003
    Dallas Mavericks
  6. 2003–2004
    Golden State Warriors
  7. 2004–2005
    Portland Trail Blazers
  8. 2005–2006
    San Antonio Spurs
  9. 2009–2023
    Coaching
    Texas Southern, Milwaukee Bucks, Texas Legends, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks

Documented Sets

Sets broken down parallel by parallel, with their own checklist page.

2025-26 Donruss Basketball

Card #143 · Los Angeles Lakers · Donruss, Optic and autographs

— of — parallels
Open the checklist →

Rarest Cards Owned

The lowest print runs in the collection.

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Season by Season

Where the collection is strong, and where the gaps are.

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Frequently Asked

The questions people ask about Nick Van Exel, answered from this archive and from verified sources.

How many Nick Van Exel basketball cards are there?
This archive documents 1,810 distinct Nick Van Exel cards, from his 1992-93 Cincinnati Bearcats issue through 2025-26 Donruss. The Trading Card Database lists 1,814, and the two have been reconciled season by season. The count keeps growing because Panini and now Topps continue to produce retrospective autographs decades after he retired.
What is Nick Van Exel's rookie card?
He has nine rookie cards, all from 1993-94: Finest #50, Fleer #316, Hoops #356, SkyBox Premium #241, Stadium Club #281, Topps #302, Ultra #278, Upper Deck #162 and Upper Deck Special Edition #134. The Finest rookie is the scarcest of the group, since Finest was a limited premium product where the others were mass-market.
Did Nick Van Exel only play for the Lakers?
No. He spent his first five seasons in Los Angeles from 1993 to 1998, then played for the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs. A complete Van Exel collection therefore covers six franchises plus his college cards, which is why this archive is not restricted to Lakers issues.
Was Nick Van Exel an All-Star?
Yes, once, in 1998 while with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was also named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 1994.
Where did Nick Van Exel play college basketball?
He played two seasons at Trinity Valley Community College from 1989 to 1991, then two at the University of Cincinnati from 1991 to 1993, where he was a third-team All-American in his final year. Licensed Cincinnati cards exist and are part of this collection.
Does Nick Van Exel have autograph cards?
Yes, 581 distinct autograph cards are documented here, the large majority produced long after he retired. Panini has issued signed Van Exel cards almost every year since 2012 across Flawless, National Treasures, Immaculate Collection, Prizm and other premium lines.
What is the rarest Nick Van Exel card?
Several are one-of-ones, including printing plates and designated 1/1 parallels such as Black and Nebula. Among cards with a stated print run above one, the 2013-14 Panini Intrigue Immortalized Autographs numbered to 2 is the lowest in this collection.

Career details verified against NBA.com, Basketball-Reference and Wikipedia, July 2026. Card counts come from this collection’s own data, reconciled against the Trading Card Database. More on terminology in the card FAQ.